How to solve your

money problems

Gambling

You were earlier advised against selling your furniture to play at the lotto, the races, or other kinds of gambling. But you are by no means advised against trying your luck in these games, on the contrary! Indeed, there's no reason why you have less luck than anyone else as long as it's sheer hazard. The lotto balls, for example, don't look at the numbers that you've marked down on your ticket before deciding to go out or not to go out. If you have a lotto or lottery ticket, you have a chance to win, be you a deputy or a truck driver, a university professor or a garbage-man, a Member of Parliament or a caretaker, a tycoon or a tramp.

In the same train of thought, beware of the mirific promises of hope dealers, who claim to know the secret of winning or the winning numbers. Don't spend your hard-earned money to fatten such shameless quacks. Know that if these really knew how to be certain to win, they'd keep their secret to themselves and certainly wouldn't communicate it to you.

By playing games of chance, you can entertain certain hope and a better morale, which is in no way unpleasant. Who knows if one fine day Lady Luck might decide to come and knock at your door?

It's important to be in the race, that is, to play regularly, which amounts to leaving your door constantly open to luck. For the lotto or lottery, for example, it'd be clever to opt for a subscription; in many countries, there are subscriptions for several months on end, and they are automatically renewable.

But also, it's important to play very moderately, that is, not to invest huge sums. As a matter of principle, only bet what you can afford to lose. The best way would be not to bet the money drawn from your budget, but only the money which you've saved by refraining yourself from one of your unnecessary needs like alcohol, cigarettes, coffee, sweets, nightly outings, etc.

One has since ever noticed that luck has a very bizarre behavior. First of all, it doesn't come when one desperately needs it. It has the habit of only helping those who can do without its help. "Luck is like a frivolous woman — it oppresses the poor and gets drunk on the charms of the rich" (Georgian proverb). So, don't count too much on sheer luck, don't put all your hope in it — in brief, don't adjust your life to its possible arrival; on the contrary, act as if you didn't care about it. In this view, long-term subscriptions turn out to be a good formula.

Luck is also renowned for its arrogance. When it decides to favor someone, it does it in an excessive way and repeatedly. "Throw the lucky man in the Nile, and he'll come up with a fish in his mouth" (Egyptian proverb). This should incite you to be always prepared so as not to miss any crumb of Lady Luck's generosities if and when she deigns to visit you. That's why long-term subscriptions also prove to be a good method.